


Determined (Week 4 of 52 More Stories)

by readergirl37



Series: 52 More Stories [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Canon What Canon, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Inspired By Tumblr, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Zombie Apocalypse, do not copy to another site, inspired by resident evil 2, just a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readergirl37/pseuds/readergirl37
Summary: Elena meets a stranger while zombies have overrun her hotel. They take a chance on each other to get home.Not related to other fics in the series, they do not need to be read to understand this one.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Elijah Mikaelson
Series: 52 More Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943929
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Determined (Week 4 of 52 More Stories)

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I am so sorry I haven't kept up with the weekly prompts! I've had some awful health issues lately. I've been sorta just hanging on lately tbh. That mixing with a full load of classes and working full-time has left me dead on my feet. To make up for that, I figured you guys wouldn't mind if I spent a little extra time on this one and made it long to make up for the wait.  
> The prompt for this oneshot is:  
> Gone was the timid child they once knew, and in her shoes stood a determined woman.
> 
> I didn't have a particular year in mind for this, but Resident Evil 2 takes place in the 90s without cellphones and this mimics that--imagine whatever time you want.

Richmond was "just an hour away" yesterday. That was her justification just a few days ago when she booked the room.

The trip was supposed to be just a job interview, a night in a hotel, and then back home to Jeremy.

Screams rip through the air. She doesn't even want to think of where Alaric and Jenna are in this chaos as she repacks her duffle. A suitcase wouldn't be practical now-she can't sling that over her shoulder, even though Jeremy gave her crap for the choice just a day ago.

" _Aren't you supposed to be all professional in Richmond?" He'd teased._ She was gonna go to that shop on the corner and get him some pigments he'd been eyeing...

The world has ended outside her door. She saw a man rip through another, rotted, bloody, mindless through the peephole. The best she can hope for right now is to get out of the building. Maybe the shop has her blown tires replaced, she can get out of Richmond. It has to just be Richmond. Part of her brain knows that if it's awful here, it must be bad everywhere- but she just needs to get home to see Jeremy. 

She thinks of the high school baseball team that checked into rooms on her floor and how Jeremy used to play. They haven't passed by her door in the last half-hour she has been watching the peephole. Elena knows she can't stay in this room and wait for the rest of her life. She takes a deep breath before she slides the chain away and cracks open the door. 

There are a few of them limping around, with gray skin and dead eyes that stare past her. She manages to leave the room, leaving the door open, no sense in slamming it and drawing attention. The keycard in her pocket that she won't return to the front desk is the least of the hotel's worries. There's blood dried into the carpet, on the walls, and dead people walking around. The smell is what gets her, almost causing an audible gasp. It smells so strongly of iron and rot, and possible smoke. 

She inches her way down the hallway before she freezes. There's the baseball team she thought about, milling around in bloody uniforms. One of them looks so much like Jeremy at that age. He's got a mop of brown hair and a lost expression as he reaches for her. 

A man with a cherry red fire axe appears in front of her. Elena raises her hands immediately.

"Don't-" she begins, wide-eyed.

"Duck!" he demands, and his tone makes her drop. He swings for the zombie that transfixed her. The boy drops with a thud, drawing Elena's eyes to a baseball bat a few feet away. She reaches for it as the man pulls the axe out of what used to be the boy's face. The body doesn't move. 

"Thanks," she says, getting to her feet. The weight of a bat is reassuring, especially if that man has an axe.

"You okay?" he asks, looking around them. Elena nods. They haven't drawn much attention. 

"We need to get out of here," he says. The assumption isn't unwelcome, he's the first alive being Elena has seen since she woke up.

"My car's at the shop on 17th," she tells him as they inch their way closer to the stairwell. Slow seems to be the name of the game, as a few zombies ignore them. She wonders if some of them can see and how well they can see. An experiment for later, she thinks.

"Mine's parked here. It's really good to see somebody with a pulse," he admits.

"I'm Elena," she offers.

"Elijah," he replies.

"You have to remove the head or damage it to get them to stop. Otherwise, they keep trying to grab and bite," he advises. She only got a glimpse of his face before, but the man seems out of place in a black suit and tie and backpack. There are too many questions to ask. There doesn't seem to be any chance of reasoning with the walking dead- nothing but a hungry shell left behind. She swings at one that gets too close and winces at the thud. It takes two more hits until the body stops moving.

"I need to get to Mystic Falls. It's an hour from here," she tells him as they lean against the wall across from the stairwell. It's just a thick, slate gray door, with no way to tell what's behind it. Elevators would make too much noise and they're a much farther walk.

"I'm heading to New Orleans," he tells her. It wouldn't exactly be a straight shot, but he can't go on forever alone. It's at least fourteen hours from Richmond.

"Let's make a deal," she proposes. Elijah raises an eyebrow.

"You drive me to Mystic Falls. It's an hour's drive. I check in on my brother. Then if he's fine, I'll stay in Mystic Falls, or I could join you," she offers.

"Join me?" he echoes. Elena shrugs.

"I've never been to New Orleans, but you probably shouldn't go alone. You've got someone waiting there?"

"My family. Most of it, anyway. I haven't figured out my route. I'll agree to your terms if you add that we won't kill each other. Unless I'm one of them. Then you can," he tells her, serious. It was about fourteen hours up here in total--a traveling partner might help him stay sane in this. The conversation is doing him a world of good.

"Same for me. My brother's the only family I have in the state. I know he can handle himself, but-" she trails off.

"He's family. You don't have to justify it," he tells her. His eyes flicker towards the door. There's a flicker of something in her when he says that-almost ease to being in his presence. They think alike--she finds it reassuring. If the world is ending, at least she's not escaping with her polar opposite.

"Now or never," she says, with a tilt of her head. For some reason, she trusts him.

"Let's go," he says, exhaling. The door eases open. Elijah goes first, keeping it open with his left arm for her.

There are a few they can hear groaning on the upper levels, but the undead don't seem to know how to use stairs very well. Elijah pushes two down the stairs in front of them with the head of the ax. He waits, but they don't move again. Elena prods them with her bat before they walk past them down the concrete steps down.

"Double-tap," he observes. Elena nods.

"Rather be safe than sorry," she shrugs. It feels like an age before they reach the level to the parking garage. It's easy to take care of the few stragglers in their way, but Elena's wary. A pack of them would be much harder to fend off.

"Okay, before we open that. Do we know if zombies are attracted to light? When we move or talk, they can be attracted to the sound," Elena muses.

"I'll unlock the car manually," Elijah decides.

"What do you drive? And where'd you park?" Elena asks. There's a slight pull to Elijah's lips as he turns to look at her.

"It's a black Bentley. It's on this level," he tells her, watching her face. She bites her lip and resists the urge to laugh out loud. What are the chances?

"And you have a backpack on instead of traveling with a designer suitcase?" she asks. It's not the time for this, but he's a mystery to her. She should know what she's getting into before they get into a car together.

"I left it in my trunk. I was supposed to change into casual clothes after a quick meeting this morning," Elijah sighs. They should open the door and scout out how many of them have swarmed into the parking garage, but the idea of a horde of them spilling through the door sets Elena on edge. Elijah presses his ear to the metal door, putting his weight against it. 

"Follow me. I think if we stay low and move slowly, we can make it. I don't hear too many of the zombies. And we can't kill all of them," he informs her, tensing to open the door. Elena nods again as he opens the door with a slight squeal of the metal.

"WD-40," Elena mutters. Despite himself, Elijah can't help but chuckle at her comment. A few zombies are milling around though what disturbs her more is how many are in cars.

"They must have had a similar idea to us," Elena observes. There are a few dozen vehicles before they turn the corner to see Elijah's black car. He carefully opens the trunk with his key, looking inside for something.

As he does, Elena has her back a few inches away from his, looking at the zombie laying partially under the truck next to them. Elena prods the zombie with her bat, curious if the chunk of flesh taken out of his neck killed him for good. The zombie groans, she leans to smack it at the awkward angle. It takes a few swings before it stops moving. There's a click as Elena blinks to see Elijah peruse through a few different things in his trunk.

"Here," he says, pressing something heavy into her hand. She looks down to see a Glock pistol in their joined hands.

"You keep guns in your trunk?" she asks in a whisper. There's a zombie dragging something close, but she can't tell the location yet. His hand is warm against hers, contrasting against the cold metal.

"We're in the South, aren't we? I was bringing these for my brother, Finn. He's a competitive shooter and we also hunt together. There are a few rifles in here as well, but I figured we should save them. I'm going to unlock my door and then unlock yours. The trunk can be closed with a button on my fob," he advises. 

Elena moves closer to the door, wary of anything else under the truck next door, but with a click, his door opens, and the lock on her door opens. She slides her duffel off and puts it on the floorboard with the bat before sliding in. The trunk closes.

"Now, the fun part," he mutters.

"I'd hate to see your idea of boring," she tells him honestly. He chuckles at that as the trunk goes down with the press of a button. The engine turns on, Elena can feel her blood pressure rise with the noise. Someone must be working on fixing this, trying to find a cure for people eating others, walking around while rotting. They can't be the last people in the hotel or Richmond.

"Seatbelt," Elijah reminds her as he reverses. It would be ridiculous to get this far and get taken out by not wearing a seatbelt, she thinks. She buckles.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Elijah asks. 

"Yeah. My uncle's very into self-defense. He taught me. Haven't had to actually shoot outside of a range before though," she admits. The safety's on so she lets it stay in her lap. Elena doesn't have a holster but doesn't want to pack it away in case they need it. Elijah's gotta focus on driving anyway. If someone has to shoot, she'd rather it be her. 

"You were here for a meeting. What do you do for a living?" She asks. The car purrs in the silence before he answers. Elijah drives like a grandfather, but he's careful to avoid the zombies. She's not sure if he or the car can't take it. 

"I was a lawyer. What about you?"

"Writer here for a job interview. You're still a lawyer," she reminds him. Someone has to have hope. He pauses.

"You're right. Maybe this will blow over. It'll be caused by GMO crops or something in the water," he says, but not unkindly.

"Maybe," she echoes.

"So we both have brothers," she states. It's a lame attempt at keeping the conversation going. The car is almost out of the parking garage and she's not sure if she can stand only hearing the undead at the moment. 

Real sunlight hits their eyes. It's worse outside even though there are more places to go. There are so many bodies in the street, being picked at by zombies. 

There's a scream. Elena can't tell if it's a zombie or someone alive. Her heart sinks with the knowledge that she and Elijah can't take on that many. They move in packs outside--at least a dozen zombies are gnawing on what used to be a person on the sidewalk. Her stomach churns. The buildings blur together but the carnage does not.

"I have multiple brothers," Elijah answers, turning around a corner. There hasn't been a single person moving among the dead. Maybe the smart ones got out of the city last night when it started. Her habit of going to bed earlier than most has come to bite her-literally. Elena focuses on what Elijah's saying and keeping her breathing even.

"Oh yeah?" Elena replies, watching for any sign of life.

"My sister Freya is the oldest of us, then my brother Finn. He's the brother I was going to gift the guns in the trunk to. He's a cop, actually, a few hours from New Orleans," he begins.

"I thought cops and lawyers didn't get on well," Elena teases. Elijah laughs.

"We're very alike. But we view the law in different ways. Either way, I live out of his jurisdiction," he jokes. There are abandoned cars they creep past, hollow eyes watching them pass, people in the road like carrion. Elena wants to pinch herself at the sight of it.

"And your other brothers?" she prods. Maybe he's as horrified as she is, they have to keep talking, something has to be normal, or she's going to lose her mind. She blinks away a few tears at the sight of a child's shoe covered in blood. The child could have gotten away, but the shoe is so small-

"Then, I'm next. Then my brother Niklaus. Everyone but me calls him Nik. He's an artist, you've probably seen his work somewhere, then my sister Rebekah, she's a model, and my brother Kol. He's still a college kid at Tulane. Doesn't know what he wants to do yet," he tells her.

She's thankful for the interruption, all of the thinking rabbit holes she wants to go down are now filled with entrails.

"My brother, Jeremy, he's an artist too. He wants to work on comic books right now, that could change. He's been debating between a few different places to study," she tells him. There's someone with an almost entirely exposed ribcage on the next street, underneath a tree. The blonde hair makes her think of Caroline. She can feel her anxiety rise. She manages to tell Elijah a few different ways to get out of Richmond, she will be back for her car after. After.

The world has ended and they're still breathing. None of it feels real. Jeremy matters in any reality, she grounds herself. They'll find Jeremy, see if Caroline and her mom are doing okay. She'll go meet his family. If they're anything like Elijah, they're likely doing okay, whatever passes as okay right now.

God, it feels like the end times--she was worried about her interview outfit last night. Everything seems so small.

"Do you think they need to sleep? Most living things do, but they're not exactly alive," Elijah wonders. Elena exhales.

"If they did, I don't think things would have gone to shit so quickly. This all happened overnight, right?"

Elijah shrugs.

"Touche," he replies. She reaches into her duffle for a hair tie. She might as well have her hair up for however long it'll be harder for anyone to grab. Elijah presses a few buttons, then the radio fills the car.

"-Vital that you stay in your homes; make no attempt to reach loved ones and avoid all physical contact with the assailants. Barricade yourself and those in your home. Travel is _extremely_ dangerous right now. Local emergency services are overwhelmed-" and the message is about to repeat again before Elena lowers the volume. She trades a knowing look with Elijah.

"Take a left here," she says. They've gone up against a few zombies and they were fine. Besides, they weren't home when all of this happened. Elijah grins at her. Nothing's going to keep either of them from checking in on their families. He accelerates.

* * *

The road to Mystic Falls isn't conventional, but they make it to a bridge before Elena fidgets. She doesn't look out the windows like she has been and fiddles with her bag instead. There aren't any zombies around, no sign of anything amiss as far as he can see. He slows down.

"Are you okay?" he asks, looking at her. Her white knuckles say no--her voice says yes. He stops the car before they reach the bridge.

"My parents died by driving off this bridge. I was in the backseat. Someone found me at the bank over there. But I don't remember getting out of the car. Everyone told me I was lucky and that it might come back someday. I-" Elena shakes her head. It sounds like a miracle inside of a tragedy.

"I lost my parents when I was young too. I'll be careful," he promises. It looks like there's something on the other side of it, but they have to cross the bridge. Like ripping off a bandaid, he thinks.

"Is this the only way in?" he asks. Elena nods.

"It'd be a waste of gas and time to go another way. I'm fine, let's go," she says. Her knuckles are still white, but he drives. The other side has a blockade of trucks and a car that says sheriff in a blocky typeface. Elena rolls her window down so he does the same, waiting.

A man begins shouting questions from one of the vehicles and Elena's lips quirk into a smile. She sticks her head out the window to Elijah's dismay. 

"Matt! He's with me! He drove me back from Richmond," she shouts. A truck moves out of the way for him to continue driving. He sees a stern-faced blond man as he slowly begins to pass between the trucks. He's not sure if they would have moved for a stranger, but then again, he probably wouldn't have taken this route back home without her. He pauses so Elena can talk to the man who caught her eye. He's wearing a blue flannel shirt. As Matt talks, Elijah can spot a shotgun rest against the passenger seat.

"Can't be too careful. Neither of you got bit, right?" Matt asks.

"Nope. This is Elijah. We've been keeping each other safe. Do you know where Jeremy is?" Elena asks.

"He was out at the Lockwood's earlier. I'd check your house and then theirs," he advises.

"And Caroline?" Elena inquires.

"Caroline's at the station, helping run the radios. We've been isolating people who've been bitten. And obviously, covering all of the exits around --each of them has a deputy. So we've got a good communication system. Everyone's working in shifts," Matt informs her.

"I did say you'd make a great deputy a few years ago. You didn't listen then," Elena teases. Matt rolls his eyes at her, looking at her with fondness in his eyes. Maybe he'll do that once this is all over.

For as small as Elena described the Mystic Falls, he's surprised they've had such a vigilant response. It makes him wonder.

"You take good care of her," Matt warns. Elijah's not sure if he's ever been so cheerfully threatened before.

"I will," he answers. Matt nods like his answer is satisfactory enough for him, and Elena shifts back into the car, rolling her window up. It seems unimportant to explain who Matt Donovan is and who he is to her. First boyfriend, a former football star with a heart of gold, and her date when she was crowned Miss Mystic Falls once. Explaining Caroline and her mother, the sheriff, the way they're so alike but not, and their steel spines don't seem to matter much as she tries to open her mouth.

Part of her wants him to know, wants him to like Mystic Falls as much as she does, but part of the reason she was in Richmond was to get away from it. See more of the world and not get stuck in Mystic Falls like so many generations of the Founding Families have.

Directions come out instead, the way to get to her house. Jeremy's car is in the driveway. She decides to keep the bat but put the gun in the glovebox.

Mystic Falls is quiet as he parks in the driveway. The comfortable silence in his car with Elena was different. Richmond wasn't loud, but there was noise. The groans and wheezes of zombies mixed with screams and the wet sound of them eating and tearing. 

"He should be here. Do you want to come in with me?" Elena asks. He turns off the engine as an answer and gets out as she does.

The door opens before they even have a chance to knock. Without hesitation, Elena moves in front of Elijah protectively. 

"Elena!" a familiar voice says. He can see the similarity in the siblings, and Jeremy sort of resembles the zombie he saved Elena from, in height and hair. Maybe that's why she had frozen up.

"Thank god," she says in response and embraces her brother. He's usually not the hugging type. Then again, dead people didn't walk around when she left either. He pulls away after a minute.

"This is Elijah. He and I got out of Richmond together. Sorta owe each other," she explains. Her brother squints at him before moving out of the doorway.

"Are you hungry? I just realized we didn't eat breakfast," Elena says. Elijah's stomach growls as he smells cinnamon rolls.

"I could eat," he tells her. Elena's chiding her brother about not eating all of the cinnamon rolls she'd stocked in the freezer-- he's giving her grief right back. The house is definitely home. Neat but lived in, with the photos on the walls, the personal touches, the neatly labeled files on the coffee table marked _graded_ that makes him think her aunt or uncle is a teacher.

Elena leaves him for a moment, flying up the stairs as she mumbles something about supplies. She returns with two full bags a few minutes later, after Jeremy's handed him a plate of cinnamon rolls and bacon. The bacon is the right amount of crispy while the cream cheese frosting is the right amount of sweet. The horrors of the morning seem forgotten for a moment as Jeremy reads a comic book with one hand and picks up bacon with the other.

"Did you pack half your room?" Jeremy asks.

"I'm aiming for leaving you just the kitchen sink," she quips. Elijah watches her grab a few things from the cabinets. 

"You changed your shoes," Elijah observes. 

"Yeah, give me Converse over those interview shoes any day," she tells him. She sets the bags by the door before she sits at the kitchen island with them. Sitting at the island eating breakfast is the most normal thing she's done since she left.

"We should get going soon. I want to check in on Caroline, then we should get on the road to New Orleans," Elena tells him.

"You're right, it is a long drive, I don't love the idea of driving in the dark," Elijah agrees. Jeremy looks away from his comic book.

"They're attracted to sound and light. You should find somewhere to stay for the night before the sun goes down."

It's more serious than Elena's seen her brother in a while. 

* * *

The sheriff's department is busier than he expected, but Elena makes her way through with ease. Something about everything she's survived this morning makes all of it so much less intimidating. Deputies who used to be able to intimidate her as a child with their thousand-yard stare are just people to her now. Gone was the timid child they once knew, and in her shoes stood a determined woman.

"Hey, Caroline. I know you're busy, but what's the best way to leave Mystic Falls?" Elena asks. A blonde woman with a headset on turns around to raise an eyebrow at her. The woman is very much Niklaus's type and Elijah tucks the thought away for another time.

"Our town is safe. As safe as we can make it. Stay here," Caroline presses. Elena shakes her head and gestures to Elijah.

"Caroline, Elijah. Elijah, Caroline. He got me out of Richmond. I promised him I'd go with him to New Orleans," Elena explains. Caroline pulls her friend close to whisper for a moment. Elijah watches the monitors scattered around the room.

"Take this exit. And fill up on gas. There might not be some down there," Caroline advises. She embraces Elena before she responds to something on the radio.

"Be safe," she tells her friend. Elijah's not expecting a steely gaze as she looks upon him.

"Keep her safe," she tells him in a no-nonsense tone. Elena begins to open her mouth as if to argue. He knows she can keep herself safe.

"I will," he promises.

* * *

The trunk is almost full, between the rifles, his bags, Elena's, and the few containers of gasoline. Thirteen hours of driving left to go, about eight hours to Finn. He and Sage will likely be at work, he's got a spare key, he'll call the station and get patched through. It'll be fine.

"You don't have to come with me. Your friend was right. It is safe here," he reminds her. Elena straightens.

"We made a deal. I wouldn't feel right leaving you to drive alone."

"It might take a while for you to get back to Mystic Falls," he reminds her. He shifts his weight from one foot to another, she meets his gaze.

"I think that'll be the least of my problems. Seriously. I know you're capable, but I want to go with you," she says. There's something that just draws him to her confidence. He wants to tell her no, that she'd be safer here, but they don't know that. He'd worry about her safety even if he left her here and there's an ease of being with her.

"Okay. You'll have to be the navigator and tell me where to go to get out of here," he reminds her as he unlocks the car.

"Deal," she grins.

* * *

"I wish you had a truck," Elena complains half-heartedly.

"Then we definitely would have had to stock up on gas," he replies. It'd be easier to just drive in the grass and avoid the abandoned cars. 

"If we moved that yellow car, I think we could squeeze past, there," Elijah points. Elena opens the glovebox for the gun and checks to make sure it's loaded.

"If you cover me, I'll go. You guard the car," she suggests. She's scoping out around the cars before he even hears the car door shut.

At least she's got the gun on her, he thinks, wary of their surroundings. Disasters tend to bring out the worst of people, and he keeps an eye around the car and Elena as she wanders closer. If he was unobservant, he might think this would be a lovely place, the trees and flowers are almost immaculate, the median is well maintained, except for the blood.

Zombies are rotting in their cars, some with windows partially open. Elijah can't imagine how much it reeks, his nose is burning at the thought.

Elena's leaning into the yellow car, waving something in her hand, victorious. She gets in the driver's seat to start the engine, giving him another thumbs up. Something moves underneath the car next to her and Elijah watches the sound of the engine attract it, a bloody zombie crawling towards the slow-moving car. Elena parks in the other lane as he rolls down his window, gun in hand. He hears groaning in the distance. They might have just alerted the undead that they're here. The zombie stretches toward Elena's ankles. Elijah takes the shot. 

Elena stares at him for a moment before it connects and she rushes back to her place in the passenger seat. He puts the car in drive before she's even buckled her seatbelt, it's time to go before more of them come. 

"Sorry for ringing the dinner bell," he apologizes. He was just far away enough that he wasn't sure if he could have made it in time on foot.

"I didn't see it. From the angle it was at, I had no idea it was there," she admits. 

"Thank you," she says. There are too many things to say but he seems to understand in the silence. They drive on, aware of their solar deadline.

* * *

His stomach growls as they roll through a drive-through of a town. This must be the busiest street of the few they have. The type of place he wouldn't have noticed before unless he needed to get gas--if any radio stations were playing music, he'd guess that it'd take a song to drive through. Now though, the most direct route also puts them in the direct path of the town medical clinic, a brick building surrounded by the undead. The parking lot is so crowded with cars he'd wince at the thought of getting in or out of it. 

"I should be the distraction this time. You went out last time." 

"But then I might not be able to move as quickly," Elena raises an eyebrow. He looks at her with eyebrows furrowed, an unspoken question.

"You'd be in the driver's seat," he says slowly.

"You trust me with your car?" she blurts. He nods.

"I trust you with my life. I can replace the car if it comes to that. I was thinking about throwing a duct-taped air horn. That would likely clear the main street in front of us. I could loop around and meet you up by the fountain there," Elijah points. He reaches into his center console for duct tape and an airhorn. There's organized change, at least one knife, a booklet, and some cash.

"Do I want to ask why you have those in your car?" Elena wonders. Elijah grins. She's thankful she's sitting because it makes her weak in the knees.

"Kol is a bit of a prankster. I have to be prepared to counter him," he says. Elena shakes her head, resisting the urge to laugh. 

Elijah removes his suit jacket and tosses it into the backseat before he slides his gun into a holster at his hip. 

"I'll leave the car running and I'll see you in a few minutes," he promises. She swallows, aware of a lump in her throat, he'll be fine, but there's still a sizeable crowd of zombies in the street. Even if they're slow-moving, a pack could overwhelm him.

"You better be there for me to pick up," she teases instead of telling him to be safe. He gives her a knowing look as he opens his door. She opens hers as well, shutting it gently. Dead eyes seem to recognize movement, but he's down the street before she can even wish him good luck. The driver's seat is an odd place to be as she adjusts the seat and rolls down the window, waiting for the noise. 

After the last two days, it sounds as loud as a siren. The zombies migrate like tired college students though none of them wander her way. The people of this town must be hiding in their houses or left already. The thought of putting any of them at risk seems unlikely since they haven't seen a sign of life. She stares at the empty burger joint that looks like it could be from a chain she's never heard of, with a rotating burger sign.

There's an auto parts store, a few semi-trucks, a thrift shop, and a few other stores littered down the street as far as she can see.

Elena doesn't blink or breathe until Elijah comes into her line of vision, shutting the car door with a swoop. He's driven for a few hours, she doesn't mind swapping. She exhales and steps on the gas. 

While she knows she could take out a few of the zombies if they'd limped too close, they weren't what scared her. The silence did, the absence of her traveling partner. She doesn't need him, but there's something about him. Elena knows she made the right choice as she coasts down the highway.

"Hey, in my bag behind you, I packed food, figured we'd get hungry. It's the main zipper," Elena tells him.

"I'm glad, I don't think that burger place was open," he quips. Elena rolls her eyes.

* * *

Elena considers herself a decent driver, but the route out takes a few twists and turns to get back to the highway as it begins to pour.

"Do you want to swap?" Elijah offers. Elena nods, it's his car, and she knows how hers is finicky in the rain and he might want control for his own anxiety's sake. It takes less than a minute to have both doors open and to brush by each other, but Elena laughs as they get back in, soaking wet.

"That was better than some hotel showers," she tells him. Her hair is dripping wet, but she has a jacket in her bag behind her too, and Elijah adjusts the heat. No time to get out of the wet clothes, but at least they can dry faster and spend less time miserable.

"We've gotta get you better hotel reservations then," Elijah teases.

They turn past a row of unfinished houses, a playground, signs for garage sales that might not ever happen, and Elena feels a twist of grief in her chest at the thought. Nothing will ever be the same after all of this-- there will only be an after state. A before the dead rose and ate the living and an after. She hopes there's an after as lightning strikes a few miles away. She counts the distance between strikes and watches Elijah drive as the rain pounds against the car as if demanding to be let in.

They pass an old sugar mill on the way out of town, a remnant of a bygone time with a faded logo painted into the brick.

"Can you get the map book out of the glove box? I think the next exit's in a few miles," Elijah tells her. They plan the next few hours out as the rain pounds against the ground. After a few more miles, there isn't anything to see.

No sources of light from anywhere around and she wonders if they should stop, but there isn't anywhere _to_ stop. They'd be sitting ducks for zombies or whoever's out there if they did. After they take an exit, Elijah announces that they have four hours until they get to Finn's. Elena eyes the fuel gauge and knows they'll have to fill up before then. 

"Tell me about Finn," she requests.

"Finn's a deputy for the parish he lives in. He's married to a woman named Sage. They met through work, she was one of the dispatchers, and they worked together for a few years before they started dating. It was obvious to all of us that he was interested in her, but it took him some time to come around to the idea of dating someone he works with," Elijah explains. It takes her mind off the rain pouring outside the car as he talks about his brother and sister-in-law. 

"They're both married to work. For obvious reasons, Kol and Finn do not get on well most times," he says. She laughs, thinking of the air horn Elijah kept in his center console for Kol--his older brother does not sound like the type to partake in shenanigans. 

Their conversation carries them until the rain lets up. Elena knows she made the right choice.

* * *

Whatever she thought she was expecting, this property is gorgeous. The street forks in two, Elijah picks left, down the long drive to reach a house made of stone and wood. It's surrounded by trees that look stunning caught in the light of the sunset. The silence is eerie. It reminds her of the haven of Mystic Falls, the temporary serenity, like the madness of the living dead hadn't spread here.

There are a few more minutes of light left, and he pulls behind the house to a detached garage. It's out of sight from the road, but there aren't any cars in sight. His assessment of his brother and his sister-in-law is likely correct-they aren't here. No one comes out to meet them. Instead, he turns off the engine and pops the trunk.

"We should get our things inside first," Elijah says. Elena agrees with his assessment, reaching for her bags in the backseat. It takes a few minutes with the fading light of the sun before they look at the rest of the house.

The kitchen is a classic white with light wood, tidy, leading into a dining room with a large table. There's a kitchen island with a few stools at it as well that look much more fitting. Elijah catches the look she's giving the behemoth of a table.

"When my family gets together, we need a table this big. It fits my siblings and all of their spouses," he explains. 

"Their spouses?" Elena questions. Elijah shrugs as he leads the way up the stairs.

"Finn's the only one of us that's married. Rebekah is dating someone, and Kol is a serial dater. Klaus, Freya, and I are single," he informs her.

The news should not make her grin at his back, but it does anyway.

The high ceilings and number of bedrooms remind her of a B&B.

"If they ever want to give up the law enforcement careers, Finn and Sage could run a bed and breakfast place," Elena comments.

"I'll be sure to let them know," he replies. There's one window in this bedroom, but there's an armoire that's about the right height to completely block it. Elijah drops his backpack on the bed and she sets her duffle down next to it.

"I can block this window if you want to grab the rifles and stuff," she tells him. He nods, down the stairs in a blink of an eye. It wouldn't do for them to sleep and get caught unaware. The armoire glides into place almost too easily, causing Elena to squint at the feet of it, spotting the pads underneath. No wonder it was so easy.

"We should clear the rest of the house together just in case," Elijah suggests. 

"And probably cover up a few more of these windows," she muses. The other bedrooms should be fine if they keep the doors shut, no way to spread light that could be seen from the outside that way or the basement would probably be fine too, just the main floor, if she's got the lay of the house right. Elijah nods in agreement.

* * *

The house is empty. She feels like they've been transported to another century as they carefully set up a few candles. After raiding the hall closet, they covered the windows downstairs, and now a variety of scented candles are burning. Elena can't say she smells them really, they could be laundry mixed with the woods, with spice, fruit, and baked goods and she wouldn't complain. Anything smells better than the rot of the undead and the truly dead.

"We should sleep in shifts just in case. I'll take the first one. You should get some rest," Elena tells him. He raises an eyebrow in response, the rest of his face unreadable.

"You drove all day. Call your brother and then get some shuteye. I'll watch the clock," she promises.

"Feel like I should be telling you that," he mutters, but he goes down the stairs to the black phone in the wall in the kitchen anyway.

While he's sleeping might be a good time to catch her journal up on the day's events.

* * *

Carefully, Elena looks at the pictures above the fireplace. There are pictures of Finn in uniform, with men and women in matching uniforms. He's not smiling exactly, he looks the sort too serious to fully smile, but there's a quirk to his lips and a twinkle in his eye that indicates he's happy, at least in the photo.

It reminds her of Sheriff Forbes. 

She'll go home again someday, but she's glad she and Elijah aren't alone. The candle she elected to take downstairs with her is supposed to smell like summer, according to the label but she checks in on Elijah and the candle in the bedroom. His is supposed to smell like apples and spice, still in a safe place, with a handful of hours left to burn.

She writes in the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the hallway, and on the stairs before enough time has passed on the clock that she doesn't mind waking Elijah up. She holds her candle next to her face in what she hopes isn't reminiscent of ghost stories around campfires.

"Good morning," she jokes. It's not funny, but his eyes crinkle at the corners anyway.

"Good morning," he echoes, getting out of bed.

"Get some sleep," he tells her. She can't argue with that. Her eyes are heavy as he's looking through his bag.

"Don't forget me here," she yawns. It might be her imagination but she swears Elijah says, "That'd be impossible."

She wakes up with an extra blanket over the comforter and lets herself think about the gesture for a moment before she fully gets up. Elijah probably meant to let her sleep in a bit longer, but the sun is beginning to peek through the armoire.

* * *

Breakfast is quick bowls of cereal and peeking through the windows for anything outside. It seems so strange to remember that she doesn't know him well, not really. Stranger still to remember that she does trust him with her life. Maybe not with picking out donuts she'd like or remembering her middle name but all of it feels right anyway. If he'd wanted to leave her alone and stranded, he could have, dozens of times over. Then again, she could have taken the car and left him in the not bed and breakfast house while the moon was high.

She feels like they don't even need to talk as they load things into the trunk. Compared to their long hours in the car yesterday, they're in town in a blink of an eye. Zombies are milling around but the police station has its own high concrete and metal gates surrounding the area.

Elena thinks she saw someone move on the roof, but it was so quick she can't be sure. Elijah makes no move to get out of the car, just waiting. There's someone who slips out of the front of the smooth gray building and up to the gate. 

"That's our date," Elijah tells her.

"We have to get you on some better dates," Elena says. He chuckles.

"Well played," he replies. It's a moment before they reach the gate, clearly a friendly face by the way Elijah stands. 

"Shane. I thought you were off to the staties in a few weeks," he tells the man in front of them. He's got short red hair, stocky, but the only identification on him is the badge clipped at his hip. Probably not worth trying to get the bloodstains out of a work uniform, she thinks.

"If life goes back to normal, that is still the plan. Claire is at home with Luna. Who's your friend?" he asks, looking away from Elijah.

"Elena. His traveling partner. We're headed to New Orleans this afternoon," she tells him. If she was supposed to withhold information, it wasn't passed onto her. He might have an idea of a route to take.

Shane whistles lowly, no real effort behind it, and not loud enough to affect the dead milling about. 

"Tall order. Speaking of tall orders, your brother's on the roof. We've been using grates and boards to travel between buildings around here by rooftop. If we ring the church bell, then they swarm and it's easier to pick them off from above," Shane explains. 

"Can you tell the Tall Order that he's got a delivery and a brother down here? Elena and I could drop off what he's expecting and be on our way."

Shane glances toward the car with interest.

"Please say you bought too much ammo," he requests. Elijah chuckles at that.

"I'm just bringing a few rifles, scopes, and some ammo for said rifles. Though Finn did order quite a bit because it was on sale, if Sage asks," he explains. There's a twinkle in Shane's eye with understanding.

"Of course. Sage is doing just fine. Dispatch has been handling all sorts of shit and we've been working on expanding the safe zone of the city. I knew you were my favorite Mikaelson brother, even if you're a lawyer," Shane compliments. Elijah seems unable to resist a half-grin at the comment.

"Different types of lawmen," Elijah replies.

"True," Shane agrees with a pointed finger. 

He takes the radio from his hip and tells Finn his brother's got a delivery for him. No use in ten codes now, not like anyone's listening to sensitive information. 

He works on quietly unwrapping the thick chains around the fence as Elena takes the keys from Elijah. It takes a moment to rummage through the trunk to retrieve two of the rifle cases. Not as heavy as she expected, but the ammo might be somewhere else.

She sets them near the gate and Elijah takes the next two and the ammo bag out. She watches the doors open again, to see a man only slightly taller than Elijah with a stern look on his face. She can picture him intimidating some just by that, but after yesterday, she doesn't particularly care about mind games. 

"Elena, this is my brother Finn. Finn, Elena," he introduces them. Finn nods in acknowledgment and she nods back. It's not the time for handshakes or icebreakers.

"When people say they want help from someone up above, I don't think they meant you," Elijah jokes. Finn stares at him for a moment before rolling his eyes, grinning at the sight of his brother. The severe expression melts away to make him look much younger.

"Well, I'm what they're getting. Did you see the house? Everything 10-4?"

"The house is fine. We resecured it and you can talk like a normal person you know. 10-4 and the word okay take the same amount of time to say," Elijah reminds him. Shane pulls the chain away and swings a gate inward. 

"Are you on your way to New Orleans?" Finn asks as he reaches for two of the cases.

Elijah nods.

"Then take the backroads way out of town. We'll hold off on ringing the dinner bell for a few more minutes so you can get out," Finn tells him. It takes a minute more to transfer everything over to Finn and Shane's side. Finn grabs Elijah's arm and Elena watches, unsure what Finn's whispering in his ear. Shane seems unconcerned, adjusting something on his radio.

"Be safe. Tell everyone I love them. And take care of Elena. She seems special," Finn whispers.

"She is. I will," Elijah whispers back. Elena still has the keys but she waves goodbye before Elijah does, retreating back to the car as the deputies resecure the gate.

"Who are Claire and Luna?" Elena asks. It's not the question he was expecting and it's one he'll take.

"Claire is his wife. Luna is their corgi," Elijah answers. Elena squints, looking at the building as they drive away. That's not what she expected. Finn is probably much younger than his severe expression led her to believe and she wonders how old Elijah is. 

//

They talk through the morning with small talk and then bigger pieces. Not quite secrets but something closer to discussions with friends. At the end of this, whenever it is, Elena wonders if she could stand to have him return to being a stranger again.

It's easier to talk about pets and pet peeves than think about what might be in New Orleans. Neither of them make promises, she notices. He doesn't say some cheesy line about beignets or tourist spots. He's worried about his family and the more zombies they see, the happier she is that she didn't let him make this journey alone.

* * *

New Orleans is swamped. They take turns clearing out enough zombies to inch their way closer to Elijah's home. 

"This would have taken twenty minutes before this," he tells her.

"Well, think of this as traffic congestion," she tells him. He laughs at that, careful to pull a zombie away from Elena's blind spot. She swings at another in front of her. Her arms are starting to get sore from repetitively swinging the bat. He has to be exhausted as she is, but Elijah's still mowing them down with his ax. Guns would draw too much attention and even if they had another air horn, this block is so compact it could harm people just trying to survive. This street must be lovely when it's full of people and not undead monsters, she thinks. There isn't time to appreciate the architecture of look at the names of stores and restaurants.

"Please tell me your house will have alcohol," she asks. He knocks another down with his ax. 

"It will," he promises. 

* * *

The last few minutes of the drive are almost too easy. It comes into view and he sees people at the windows with rifles, looking through their scopes. The abattoir. Finally. He can feel the adrenaline begin to fade but he knows they have to endure a few more minutes of being awake.

"That is not a house," Elena accuses. He rolls his eyes as he rolls his window down to show it's him. He drives through, careful to avoid Kol's hazardous parking job, finds the convertible he's looking for.

"It is by definition, a house," he informs her. She shakes her head at him as he parks next to Rebekah's car. 

"Fuck," Elena swears, as a face is nearly pressed against her window.

"Niklaus," he warns, loud enough for the man to back away. Elena opens her door to be met with the sight of a man in a gray henley, with tousled hair and a smirk.

"Klaus Mikaelson," he introduces himself. He has an accent that Caroline would love, she thinks.

"Elena Gilbert," she says, reaching for her duffle and the gun Elijah gave her. There's a flash of blonde hair moving toward Elijah that catches her eye. Elena looks to Klaus to see him grin. Not a zombie eating him then it must be a sibling hugging him. The blonde begins talking to Elijah at rapid speed and she deduces it's Rebekah.

"Bekah. We saw Finn, he's fine and he said Sage is fine. We're fine," he promises. Elena sees the look of confusion before her eyes connect with Rebekah's.

"You didn't say you were dating anyone," Rebekah accuses. Elena does her best to be suddenly very interested in the strap of her duffle, unsure if she wants to see Elijah's face. She has to be blushing hard based on the way Klaus chuckles and then suddenly turns it into a cough.

"We'll talk later. Elena and I could use some sleep," Elijah insists, leading the way into the compound. It's clearly very old and well maintained and she wonders just what kind of lawyer he is.

Rebekah and Klaus begin conspiring about something in front of them and Elijah reaches for her free hand.

"We have a few phones if you want to call Jeremy. Let him know I didn't ax murder you," he offers. His hand feels right in hers and she should call, but she just wants to sit. He leads the way to an empty bedroom, likely one of the many guest bedrooms.

"You could also run a bed and breakfast here," she informs him. He rests the ax against the wall next to him and she mimics him, resting her bat. Her bag is dropped next to a sofa before she sinks into it.

He does the same. If everything wasn't so sore, she'd make a joke about being alone together and how scandalous it is, but she just blinks. Elijah settles and waits. Elena leans against him on the sofa, the day's events washing over them like a wave. It's all too easy to close heavy eyes.

* * *

Someone's draped a quilt over her and Elijah, who's still next to her as she yawns. She looks at him and closes her eyes again. She's not sure what woke her, in the dark of the room. Gunshots break the silence and she shakes Elijah's arm. She'd go to look but she has no idea where anything is.

"That sounded too loud to be from the house," he yawns. Nevertheless, he gets up and leads the way to where he thinks it's coming from. It seems like he leads her through a maze of hallways and rooms before he opens a door. It's a study where his siblings are watching the street through a few windows. 

"Military?" he asks.

"Military," Freya confirms. She's wearing a shawl of some kind and a few necklaces, in a new age witch sort of way. It works for her and she doesn't appear much older than Elijah. There's still daylight out to Elena's relief. They must have only slept for a few hours. The sound continues and she looks away from the window to the people in front of her.

They look just like the photographs from Finn's mantle and as Rebekah and Kol grin at her, she thinks maybe she can stay in New Orleans for a while.

Elijah's hand reaches for hers and she lets him take it. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is really a love letter to all of the zombie media I love. And I figured in case anyone was curious, I'd list where I borrowed things from.  
> The "don't shoot" meet was from Resident Evil 2. Also: the sort of just immediate trust of ride or die, also Claire and Leon.  
> The setting of the hotel at the beginning was inspired by Dead Island and Left 4 Dead 2: Dead Center.  
> The reference to genetically modified crops being a potential cause is actually the real cause in Shaun of the Dead, and so is the radio bit of "To recap, you must stay in your homes; make no attempt to reach loved ones and avoid all physical contact with the assailants."  
> The route they take to New Orleans is vaguely inspired by Left 4 Dead 2.  
> The ending is from Shaun of the Dead.


End file.
